Mariton: Dead Man’s Fingers
by Tim Burris, Preserve Manager
![Photo by Tim Burris](https://natlands.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Dead-man-finger-08082620-1.jpg)
A dead man’s finger.
It is a little early for Halloween, but I recently found a Dead Man’s Finger along the trail. This is actually the fruiting body (mushroom) of a fungus called Xylaria polymorpha. It gets its common name because it resembles a rotted finger reaching up from the ground.
I only found one this time, but it is common to find these mushrooms in a group. When you see several together, it is easy to imagine a hand reaching up from a shallow grave.
![Photo by Tim Burris](https://natlands.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PA300110.jpg)
Another photo from the archives.
A little spooky, and perhaps a little disturbing. The fact that it is a fungus (The Ultimate Recycler), makes it fun.